The invention relates to fluid flow control devices. The invention is particularly useful in producing drip irrigation emitters, and is therefore described below with respect to this application.
One of the newest and most rapidly developing techniques for irrigating plants is by drip irrigation, in which emitters connected to water conduits are used for supplying a continuous, slow trickle of water to the plants. Most of the known systems use individual emitters, known as point-source emitters, individually coupled to the water conduits at longitudinally spaced points. Also known are linear-source emitters in which the water conduit itself is provided with a plurality of emitter openings spaced longitudinally of the conduit.
My above-cited application Ser. No. 715,550 discloses fluid flow control devices particularly useful as drip irrigation emitters of the type including a flexible plastic strip bonded on one surface to a second plastic surface along bond lines defining therebetween a pressure-dropping passageway having an inlet at one end for receiving pressurized fluid from a conduit, and an outlet at the opposite end for outletting the fluid at a low flow rate.